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Pentecost 15 2025, Proper 20
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, OH
Pastor Kevin Jud
September 21, 2025
Psalm 113:1-9, Amos 8:4-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-15, Luke 16:1-15
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itunes: bit.ly/pastorjud
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When my oldest son, Caleb, was a baby, Jeannette and I lived in northern Virginia and we took Jeannette’s family into D.C. for a White House tour. On the tour we got to see a lot of the ceremonial parts of the White House. The tour was long enough that Caleb started to cry and the secret service helped find Jeannette a quiet spot where she could feed him. So our joke for a while was that Caleb got to eat at the White House. It used to be that you could just line up outside and wait for a tour. For a more in depth tour you got tickets from your congressman.
Nowadays, in order to get a tour, you have to go through your congressman at least at least 21 days in advance giving your name, address, Social Security number and wait to be background checked and approved. And then when you are on the tour it feels like you spend more time in security than you do inside the house. So, we stopped doing that tour on our school 8th Grade DC trips since it did not seem to be worth the time and hassle.
There used to be just one fence surrounding the White House and the cars drove right past on Pennsylvania Avenue. Now Pennsylvania Avenue is closed there and when we were there last week there were 4 extra barriers in place to keep people not only away from the White House, but away from the fence.
Last Thursday night as we were walking by, even the area behind the fence and four barriers was closed because the president was returning on Marine One from his trip to England. The whole ellipse area was off limits and they even closed Constitution Avenue for a while to keep vehicles away from the president.
So what if you wanted to visit with the president? What would be the chances of getting in to see President Trump if you came up to the Secret Service booth at the White House gate and asked to be let in for a visit? How far would you get? The gates are locked, the guards you can see are heavily armed; not to mention the guards you cannot see; there is no way that you are going to get in. Maybe, if you had the right connections with the right person at the right time, you might get an appointment to see the president, but otherwise, if you want to get in the White House you will have to sign up for the tour.
Not only are there barriers up between you and the President, there are even more barriers up between you and God. You cannot just walk up to God on your own. You can try to walk up to God on your own but you will keep bumping, face first, into the barrier of your sin.
In his first letter to Timothy Paul writes that he is the chief of sinners; but not only Paul, you are chief of sinners; and so am I. And what is your chief sin? Simply put, the chief sin is pride. As you try to get close to God on your own terms you keep running into the wall of your pride. Because you keep thinking, “I can do this myself. I am good enough; I am smart enough and if I just try a little harder I can do it myself.” You think, “I don’t need to bow down to anyone, not even God. I don’t need to follow God’s rules; I can make up my own. I am independent. I am good enough all by myself”…and blam…again you run face-first into the barrier of pride.
Often we picture pride being like a peacock arrogantly strutting his stuff. And, oh, how we like to strut our stuff, showing off, looking down on others that we view as less than us. In Milton’s Paradise Lost Satan is proud and says, “Better to reign in hell, than to serve in heaven.” Your pride is a great barrier to God. Pride refuses to speak the two hardest words in the English language, “I’m sorry,” or the three hardest words, “I was wrong.” Or the four hardest words, “I am not perfect,” or the five hardest words, “I guess you are right.” Or the six hardest words, “I think I need some help.” Pride blocks your relationships with others and pride blocks your access to God because you want to stand tall on your own two feet, but that is not the way to the Father.
You do not get to the father by your own merit. You cannot walk tall into eternal life because you don’t deserve forgiveness and eternal life. You don’t deserve it; you didn’t earn it. Jesus earned it for you on the bloody cross at Golgotha and gives you forgiveness and eternal life as a gift. You cannot do it on your own; you need Jesus. So you humble yourself. You cannot get to God standing on your own two feet, so you kneel down in repentance. Humble yourself, admit you are a sinner. Have sorrow for your sins. Repent of your sins. Confess your sins. Turn from your sins. Humble yourself and find that the barrier of pride only blocks your way when you try to approach God standing tall, on your own terms.
Do not trust in your own actions, do not trust your own good works; trust, instead, in the generosity of the master. Trust in the generosity of God. That is the message that we get from the strange parable of the dishonest servant. The servant is not commended for being dishonest; we see that dishonesty is condemned in our reading from Amos. The dishonest servant does not deserve mercy, but the servant still trusts in his master’s reckless generosity.
The master in the parable is recklessly generous to his servant who does not deserve it. The servant deserves to go to jail and yet the master commends the servant for being shrewd. The master could, simply, cancel all of the dishonest manager’s rewriting of the bills, but the master is recklessly generous.
This is the same reckless generosity that God has for you in sending His own son, Jesus, to take on your sins and pay the price for them with his own suffering and death. You cannot earn forgiveness, you do not deserve forgiveness and yet God abundantly pours out His grace and mercy upon you through His Son Jesus in the waters of Holy Baptism. Jesus, the God man, does what only God can do and lives a perfect, sinless life. Jesus, the God man, does what only a man can do; bleed, suffer and die. Jesus, the God man, God in flesh, God with us, Immanuel, bridges the barrier between God and man for you; He is the mediator between you and God; He gave Himself as a ransom for you; a ransom for all.
We pray for all people, making supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings, we pray for the leaders of our city, state and nation that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
We pray for peace and quiet because this is pleasing to God who wants all people to be saved.
God wants all to be saved. Jesus is the mediator between God and man. Jesus is Himself the ransom for all people. Jesus died for you. This is the eternal truth that we continue to proclaim here at Immanuel Lutheran Church and School. This is the truth that we bring to the congregation and the student body and the community and to the world. We pray for all people to come to the knowledge of the truth and humble themselves before God and receive the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation. We pray that all people receive the Holy Spirit and humble themselves and admit that they are sinners who need Jesus as their savior so that pride is no longer a barrier keeping them away from God. We pray for all people to give up trust in themselves, give up trust in money, and instead, trust in the reckless generosity of the master.
Trust in the master’s generosity. Even though you are a struggling sinner, your sin is covered by the blood of Christ. God lifts you up to be with Him forever in the Kingdom of Heaven. We pray that all people know that because Jesus died and rose again that all people have access to God through Jesus. Jesus is the way to the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the narrow door to the heavenly banquet.
This morning, in Washington D.C., there are still many barriers up preventing you from sitting down to talk with President Trump, but, through Jesus, there is no barrier between you and the creator of the universe. You do not need an intermediary. You can talk to Him directly. You can go right to God in prayer and present your cares and concerns and thanksgivings. The Lord speaks to you in His Word. God speaks to you in our worship together to tell you, “Your sins are forgiven. You are God’s own child, baptized into Christ.” Amen.